Aravaipa Wilderness Area

The Aravaipa Wilderness Preserve is a federal Wilderness Area managed by BLM. Access into Aravaipa Canyon is by permit only and available only through BLM. Its elevation ranges from 2,800 feet at the west end of the canyon bottom to 6,150 feet on Table Mountain. The 10-mile long central gorge cuts through the northern end of the Galiuro Mountains. The pristine Aravaipa Creek flows perennially and is the heart of the preserve and canyon. The creek is a tributary of the San Pedro River and shelters the best remaining assemblage of desert fishes in Arizona, with seven native species.  Two of these species are federally listed as threatened—the spikedace and loach minnow. Among the more than 200 species of birds found at Aravaipa are black and zone-tailed hawks, peregrine falcon, yellow-billed cuckoo, Bell’s vireo, and beardless tyrannulet. Among the larger mammals that roam the canyon rim and bottomlands are mountain lion, coatimundi, ringtailed cats, black bear, and desert bighorn sheep. In the spring, colorful native wildflowers such as lupine, four o’clock, monkey flowers, columbine and other, more rare species can be seen along Aravaipa Creek. You can hike the ten miles from one side to the other. You'll need a full day for the entire hike as the going is slow in places. There are not only water crossings, but there are several places where simply walking in the creek is the easiest route. If this is the plan, you will need a driver to drop you off at one side and pick you up at the other. The drive from one side to the other is 250 miles and about five hours. Obviously, you can also walk into the canyon from one trail head or the other for a couple of miles and back to the same trailhead. This is what we have done (from both the east and west trailheads). The West Trailhead is about an hour and a half from us. The East Trailhead is about three and a half hours from us. As I have said, I am not a landscape photographer but here are a few of the photos of the canyon:

Entering the Canyon in Aravaipa Creek

Saguaros seem to grow out of the rock in the canyon walls.

One of many waterfalls. 

Devils Half Acre Canyon

Animals in Trees - Part III

The Coatimundi is a curious little animal four and a half feet long and weighing between 10 and 25 pounds. The male is usually  twice the size of the female. The "White-nosed Coati" is found in desert mountain canyons near water, with the largest US populations in the southernmost mountains of Arizona. Coatis are carnivores eating insects, ants, grubs, etc. They often travel in groups of up to 25. They typically sleep in trees, but unlike their cousins (racoons and ringtail cats) they are diurnal which makes them easier to find and photograph. Here is a little guy that I found sound asleep in the tree in the Galiuro Mountains of Arizona:

Another tree dweller is the Common Porcupine. I must say that the name Common Porcupine seems a bit of a misnomer, since he is not often seen. Up to three feet long, the Porcupine can weigh as much as 35 pounds. Porcupines are herbivores eating leaves, twigs, and green plants. He is nocturnal which may explain why he is less seldom seen. Porcupines have a very wide range of habitat from sea level to 12,000 ft. They can be found throughout North America. This photo was taken near Dry Falls, Washington. It was early evening and he was eating the leaves from this tree:

Animals in Trees - Part II

Of course, it's not just bears that like trees. We have bobcats that frequently visit our five acres. I suspect it is the 50 or more rabbits that live here on our property. A couple years ago our good neighbor (Ursula) called me to say there was a bobcat sleeping in one of her mesquite trees. Two minutes later I was there with camera in hand. By this time he was awake -- but still resting:

                            

The tree gave him a good vantage point for spotting food. After a minute or so, he must have seen a rabbit, at which point he climbed down the tree. You notice he is no longer looking at me. He sees something else more interesting: 

So he is off on the hunt, completely focused:

He did take one look at me, but then went back to business, unafraid of what he saw. Unfortunately, he did not get the rabbit ---- this time. Life as a predator is not very easy.

Animals in Trees, And We're Not Talking Squirrels

Black Bears love trees. In the springtime they climb trees to eat the fresh buds like this bear in late May (That's Mount Robson, British Columbia in the background):

In the fall bears climb pine trees to eat the nuts, like this bear in late September:

They'll stay in trees for hours, until all the food is gone. It is fascinating to watch. As you might think, the tree sways as they climb. But, once the bear gets to the spot it wants, it "settles" in, distributing it's weight appropriately until the tree sways no more. Only then does the bear begin eating. Once everything within reach is eaten, he will move up the tree a bit and start all over.

But they will also climb trees -- sometimes -- when frightened, such as this bear I came across in British Columbia:

And, then sometimes black bears will climb trees just for fun, as with these black bear cubs:

Wild Babies - Part IV

And, lastly, babies nursing:

White Tail Deer with Fawn

Elk with Fawn

Bison with Calf

Bighorn Sheep with Lamb

Javelina with Piglet

Wild Babies - Part III

Next comes babies with their moms:

Black Bear with Cubs

Moose with Calf

Pronghorn with Fawn

Feral Burro with Colt (or filly)

Mountain Goat with Kid

Wild Babies - Part II

Wild babies are a delight to photograph. Sometimes they are curious; perhaps you are the first "human" they have ever seen. But often they seem content to frolic around playfully, without a worry in the world. And, as long as "mom" knows you are they and are NOT aggressive you are free to move about (albeit quietly and slowly) to enjoy and photograph. Here are a few more Babies in the Wild:

Bear Bear - cubs

Coatimundi

Bison - calf

Bighorn Sheep - lambs

Feral Burro - colt (or filly)

Wild Babies - Part I

It is a wonderful time in the wilderness. Animals have given birth to their young and are out and about showing them the world they live in. Here are some of my favorites:

Mountain Goat - kid

Pronghorn - colt

Mule Deer - fawn

White Tail Deer - fawn

Javelina - piglet

Eating: The Carnivores

More photos of wildlife doing what they do. This time eating:

Grizzly Bears eating an Elk that didn't make it through the winter.

A Grey Wolf eating a Bison that didn't make it through the winter.

An American Marten with a squirrel that he had captured.

A Coyote with the remains of a rabbit he had captured.

And three Northern River Otters eating a pretty good size salmon they had just captured.

Jumpers

Wildlife "action photos" are a little more challenging than sports photos -- not that sports photos are easy either. With wildlife -- as with sports -- the action often comes without warning and is quickly over. However with wildlife, you more often don't get a chance to position yourself for the best angle and frequently the action is away from you. I have countless photos of animal's "backsides" whose only value is to remind me of what I saw. In the three photos below, I had an idea that the animals would jump a fence. But even though I was ready with camera in hand, it was challenging to get the photo I wanted: The first, Mule Deer in Southcentral Oregon (the best of the three):

The next one, a female Moose in Northwestern Colorado (Also an example of how often a branch is in the way, either covering the animals face -- or changing the focus point. I would have also liked to have centered the moose a little better in the photo to be able to see the ground he was jumping from):

And, the last one, a female Elk in Northern Arizona (I was far away and it was very early morning so the lighting wasn't great. The result was loss of detail in the photo):

Tomorrow "running."

Types of Wildlife Photos

There are two kinds of wildlife photographers: Those that try to capture wildlife in their natural environment doing what's natural, as if the photographer wasn't there. Then there are those that try to capture wildlife looking directly at them because they are, in fact, there. I am the latter - usually. Two reasons for this. First, when someone looks at one of my photos they see a wild animal looking directly at them. It puts the viewer in the same place I was. Secondly, the first type can too easily be captured with remote control cameras which seems to lack a certain sense of authenticity, or at least a sense of actually being there. However, I won't pass up an opportunity. So, I do have a few of the first kind as well. An example is this Bobcat hunting. He either didn't know -- or didn't care that I was watching:

Or a young female Elk swimming across a river:

Or a Coyote yipping in the morning mist:

Tomorrow, the jumpers.

A Most Reliable Spot

Wildlife photographers must learn where to look for certain animals or migrating birds. It has taken a while for me to find the best spot for Feral (wild) Burros. I had read about certain spots where they might be found. But, it wasn't until Imperial National Wildlife Refuge when I saw so many tracks that I realized that was the best place. Over the years Burros have created trails that are clearly visible. The next task was to discover the best time of day.  The first two times I visited INWR it was mid-morning or mid-afternoon. The third visit was early morning and I came across six Burros following each other in single file on one of the Burro trails. But late afternoon two hours before sunset has turned out most reliable. Here are several of the photos I took on this latest trip:

Searching Again for Desert Bighorns

Christine had a very early flight to Seattle, so after dropping her off at the Tucson Airport I proceeded to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. They have this wonderful 22 mile unimproved dirt/rocky road through the Ajo Mountains. There is spectacular scenery and great closeup views of the rugged mountain peaks. I got there by 7:30 AM, so thought I had a good chance of seeing some Desert Bighorn Sheep. But, no. Great drive, but no luck. So, I went on to Cabeza Prieta. I took a couple different drives looking for Feral (wild) Burros, but no luck there either. So, now on to Imperial National Wildlife Refuge on the Colorado River, just north of Yuma. As I am driving through (truly on 4x4 high clearance good tire road) I came across a couple of Army guys who were there setting up targets in the Yuma Proving Ground adjacent to the refuge. They were kind enough to show me where they had spotted several sheep. As we got to that point there was still one Ewe in sight so I took this photo:

We parted company as I continued on my search for the Desert Bighorns. Again, not much luck. So the next morning, I get up at 3:30 AM (in Yuma) so I can be exactly where I want to be (at INWR) the moment the sun comes up (5:00 AM). It's 67 degrees now, but by 8:00 AM it will be 90 degrees, and by 11:00 it will be 109 degrees. I've got the top off the Jeep so I can get a good view of the mountain slopes. While I saw a few Wild Burros, no Sheep. So, I continued on to Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. They have 600-800 Bighorns in those mountains. This is a rugged rocky drive. Reminds me of James Bond, "shaken not stirred". I spent several hours at Kofa NWR but again, no luck. So, I decided to go back to Imperial. As I was just at the point where Imperial NWR becomes Yuma Proving Ground, I ran into the same Army guys. They had found where a couple of Ewes had bedded down. Here's the photo:

Normally, I would toss a photo like this, but in this case it tells the story. I am using a 400 mm super telephoto lens. You can get an idea of how difficult it can be in spotting Bighorns. (There are two Ewes in this photo). Determined to do better than this, I pressed on. Near the end of the Yuma Proving Ground, just as it becomes BLM land, I came across a Ewe at close range:

I had to be quick, because within seconds, she was up over that ridge and out of sight. I did climb the ridge and spotted her again, but by that time she was three hundred yards away up the mountain slope. A few minutes later, (it's about 6:30 PM), I finally found what I really wanted:

This Ram was lying down on the mountain slope away from the sun. That meant I was standing in the sun looking at him. I needed to find an angle where the mountain would block the sun. That was this photo. But, I realized that he wasn't the slightest bit phased by me, so I decided to do a little climbing. I continued to the point of getting this (and several other photos):

I said "thank you" to him, I hope he understood, and left him exactly where I found him. Persistence paid off. Tomorrow, some of the Wild Burro photos.